Olfactory Sustentacular Cells (Smell Helper Cells)

Tall helpers in your nose

High up inside your nose is a small patch of special lining for smelling. It is packed with smell cells that send messages to your brain.

In between the smell cells stand tall support cells. Their science name is sustentacular cells, which means "supporting".

The top of each support cell has tiny finger-like bumps that poke into the thin layer of mucus covering the lining.

Keeping smell cells happy

Support cells do lots of jobs for the smell cells:

• They hold them in place, like the walls of a building.
• They help keep the mucus layer just right.
• They help clean away chemicals that land in your nose.

Without their helpers, smell cells cannot work well.

Smell helper cell quiz